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I'd like to plan my stocking around the water parameters and was hoping you'd all have some great suggestions. I've been looking into keyhole cichlids but have read conflicting info about their pH preferences and I'm not sure if they'd deal well with a 7.8pH.

I'm open to anything but would like to keep things within broad geographical ranges. Substrate/hardscape/plants etc will depend on the fish chosen.

In my opinion most fish that have been bred in captivity over generations are quite adaptable, but that can be debated. Here is a list of fish that actually prefer harder water instead of just tolerating it, or simply don't care at all

Cryptoheris nanoluteus or archocentrus multispinosus both look like possibilities, if I could find them. Would I be able to keep any other fish in the tank with them (tetras or livebearers for example)?

I think I'm leaning more towards Central/South American rather than Southeast Asian.

They prefer soft more acidic waters as they are from south america. Central american cichlids do prefer a bit harder more alkaline water so your parameters would be fine for them. I would actually suggest kind of a biotope setup with some Thorichthys and live bearers.

OK. So I vaguely remembered reading something a few years ago about how water straight out of the tap has a lot of dissolved gases in it that may alter the pH (let me know if I'm remembering wrong). I decided to test pH again after letting some water site for a day and.... 8.2

Maybe I should rethink African cichlids.

Or is there some way I can gradually lower the pH that won't result in massive pH swings?

I know they have already been mentioned but you have so many beutiful native Rainbows and Blue eyes why not go with them?

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Actually, rainbows are a really great suggestion! Not sure why I wasn't leaning that way before; guess I was focused on the 'centrepiece' fish concept. A lot of the New Guinea one's seem to prefer a higher pH too. Hopefully I'll be able to find a few different species to choose from. I don't remember them being very common here a few years ago but that may have changed.

You could try lowering your pH and hardness via peat filtration, driftwood, and leaves in the tank such as Indian almond leaves. Some substrates are also known to lower your pH and hardness such as ADA aquatic soils.

However for most captive bred fish...pH and hardness are not that important. I would opt for fish which are from slightly more alkaline conditions such as the Rainbows, CA cichlids, Livebearers...but really I wouldnt worry about this too much.